The maiden flight of a revolutionary drone aircraft that can stay in the air for four days at 65,000 feet is just days away.
The Phantom Eye, made by Boeing's secretive Phantom Works division, is powered by hydrogen and is designed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance missions while remaining at high altitude. It will produce only water as a by-product.
Its inaugural flight will take place at Edwards Air Force Base in California and is expected to last between four and eight hours.
Boeing also is developing a larger unmanned plane that will stay aloft for more than 10 days and 'Phantom Ray,' a fighter-sized UAV that will be a test bed for more advanced technologies, which made its inaugural flight in April.
The drone technologies being developed by Phantom Works mean the day when dog fights take place between unmanned aircraft is getting much closer.
'Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications,' Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, said.
'It is a perfect example of turning an idea into a reality. It defines our rapid prototyping efforts and will demonstrate the art-of-the-possible when it comes to persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
'The capabilities inherent in Phantom Eye's design will offer game-changing opportunities for our military, civil and commercial customers.'
'It’s exciting to be part of such a unique aircraft,' said Drew Mallow, Phantom Eye program manager for Boeing.
'The hydrogen propulsion system will be the key to Phantom Eye's success. It is very efficient and offers great fuel economy, and its only byproduct is water, so it's also a "green" aircraft.'
Phantom Eye is powered by two 2.3-litre, four-cylinder engines that provide 150 horsepower each. It has a 150-foot wingspan, will cruise at approximately 150 knots and can carry up to a 450-pound payload.
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